Elie Tahari

The colors of David Hockney's California paintings—all those cool pool blues—inspired the latest from Elie Tahari's menswear, but this wasn't a collection that Popped. There were plenty of watery tones (punched up with oranges, terra-cotta, and khaki), but the clothes this season were more military in their look and feel than Hockney-style dandy. And they were all the stronger for it. There was a fine balance struck between soldierly shapes (cargo pants and field jackets, desert boots, endless pockets, and zips) and soft, crinkled ease, one that wouldn't be out of place in a more expensive, European collection. It was a surprise—a good one, too.